She would read to him from his books - (Pg 159)

Parvana by Deborah Ellis, another story about women in Afghanistan. It is a Junior Fiction novel, and I read it in a couple of hours (mainly as I couldn't put it down).

It is the story of a young woman and her family in Afghanistan during the time of the Taliban. Her father is taken by the Taliban one day without warning and it falls on Parvana to dress as a boy so that she can go out and work and get food for her mother, sisters and baby brother.

Parvana's father is a history teacher, and through this, a simplified history and a greater understanding of this troubled country is presented clearly to the reader.

Ellis herself has written a number of inspirational stories about child refugees and is somewhat of an inspiration herself.

Parvana is a quick read which I highly recommend if you have read and enjoyed The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul and Kabul Beauty School.

280 Days Remaining, 19 Books to go

I read book after book about Afghanistan - (Pg 64)

The Kabul Beauty School is a biography by Deborah Rodriguez. Once again, as in her work of fiction, the storytelling is fantastic and the characters are truly beautiful.

If you are able to overlook some of the odd decisions made by Rodriguez, such as her numerous marriages and leaving her young children behind in America, this is a pretty amazing adventure.

After reading this I did do a little more research about Rodriguez and there is quite a bit of speculation as to whether the events and her involvement in the beauty school are as in depth as she presents them.

There is also much controversy about the stories that she retells. Even though she changed names, apparently the women who revealed their stories to Rodriguez are afraid of being found out and of the repercussions. Of course there is no way to tell what is the truth in this situation.

Putting all that aside, read this book, it's another real eye opener into that part of the world.

280 Days Remaining, 20 Books to go

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